“What are you doing here?”

Harry froze at the sound of Ron's voice, and turned towards him from where he'd been headed into the kitchen. Tobias. I'm Tobias.

“Do I know you?” he asked coolly even as his heart pounded in his chest. God he'd missed Ron. You don't know him. And he's being rude. Ron was probably just noticing that Tobias didn't 'fit in' with the rest of the crowd here, but it was still rude.

“No, you don't. Sorry, I guess. I'm Ron.”

He doesn't recognize me, Harry thought, at once relieved and disappointed. He missed Ron, and if the other boy had recognized him, somehow, then Dumbledore's grand plan would be destroyed, and they could stay friends, but he also knew that wouldn't be a good idea. Safety is more important, he reminded himself again. Mo. Always Mo.

Harry looked Ron up and down, surprised to find that he was significantly taller than his friend now, though Ron had grown, too. Come to think of it, I'm taller than Snape now, too. In all the excitement, he'd missed that detail. It made him feel a bit smug. “Tobias Bâtard.”

“Soo...why are you here? Are you a member of the Order?”

Harry had just spend the last hour with Dumbledore preparing for just this sort of question. Eventually the rest of the Order would know who Harry really was, but he'd need a story that held together for everybody else. “No. I'm a student. I'm transferring into Hogwarts this year, and Dumbledore asked me to stay here until the beginning of the term,” Harry recited, trying to sound like he believed it.

“He asked you to stay here?”

Okay, he bought it. “Yeah, weird, right?” Harry said ruefully. “I guess it's 'cause he knew my Mum. He wasn't happy with me living alone before school started, and he says it's safe here.”

“It is,” Ron said hastily. “And so's Hogwarts.”

A slightly awkward silence fell, and Harry decided that it was his turn to initiate the conversation. “This is Mo,” he said, trying to turn her but giving up when he found her gripping his shirt in both hands, mostly asleep. He smiled apologetically. “She's apparently not feeling the most social right now.”

“No – that's fine,” Ron said, looking from Harry's face down to Mo and back again. Harry was getting used to the reaction – people trying to reconcile a fifteen-year-old, rebellious-looking boy with a tiny baby girl, and not finding a comfortable way to ask.

“She's my daughter,” Harry said, then blushed. “Well, not that way. I adopted her from a friend. Long story.”

Ron nodded rapidly like he did sometimes when he was pretending to understand something Hermione was explaining. Reminded of Hermione, he wanted to ask where she was, but restrained the impulse.

“So – you want to play chess?” Ron asked.

“Sorry,” Harry said, truly regretful. “It's past Mo's bedtime, and I can't leave her.”

“Uh – okay. Do you need help finding your room, then?”

“Maybe. Dumbledore said that it was on the second floor, to the right of the bathroom, but to be honest I'd rather not try to find it on my own.”

“Sure. Come on.”

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry surveyed his room with a sense of relief. It was dim, and kind of dirty, but it was big enough for all his stuff, once it was retrieved from the Leaky Cauldron, and had a double bed, so that he could put Mo on it for brief periods without worrying that she would immediately roll off.

Ron had left him alone at the door, so he felt free to go immediately to the closet to check for what Dumbledore had said would be waiting for him there. He opened the closet door and grinned, unbelievably happy to find his trunk and his broom tucked away safely. Of course, my clothes won't still fit, he thought, grinning crazily, but who cared? It's not all burned. It's here. They got it for me.

“Look, Mo,” he said to the child sleeping in his arms. “I've got all my school stuff back.” She didn't stir, and he smiled. It was time to go to bed. Should he wake her up and feed her first, though? She'd wake him up later, unless he did. Damn, yeah. This was why he usually tried to stick to a schedule.

And so he went down to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for bed, so that he could sleep immediately upon getting done feeding Mo. When he left the room, though, a soft “Oh!” alerted him to the fact that he'd startled Hermione.

“Oh, sorry, H- miss. I didn't mean to startle you.” Miss?? I just called Hermione 'miss'? Harlot would laugh her ass off. 'Course she laughs at me for just about everything, he remembered, smiling.

“I'm Tobias,” he offered.

“Hermione Granger,” Hermione answered tersely.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, a little confused by her slightly off-putting tone. Is she always this way with strangers? he wondered suddenly.

She looked him up and down and said dismissively, “Pleasure.”

He looked up, almost startled as he remembered the first time Hermione had met Ron in the train, how she'd looked down her nose at him and said, “you've got dirt on your nose.” Of course she'd disapprove, he realized, suddenly glad that he didn't have to tell her all of who he was just yet. I've got tattoos and hair down past my hips.

“Anyway, it's my daughter's bedtime,” he said, not bothering to explain like he had to Ron. Hermione would either get over herself or not, and it really wasn't his responsibility to try to make her like him. “I was just going to brush my teeth.”

“Yeah, alright,” Hermione said, letting him pass in the corridor even as she stared. He grimaced, but kept walking. On the street, when people stared, it didn't seem all that different from when people had stared at Harry Potter. People stared at him, whatever. But Hermione had never stared at him, before. Delinquent with a baby, Tobias thought bitterly. She's probably trying to figure out how she can 'rescue' her.

He brushed his teeth quickly and returned to his room to feed Mo, trying to ignore his thoughts, and failing. Ron and Hermione were his best friends as Harry Potter, but their acceptance and treatment of the strange newcomer was still to be determined. Ron was nice enough. He's not the greatest at polite introductions, but he did offer to play chess, he reminded himself. And I just don't look like the type of person Hermione normally spends time with. She needs to get used to it, is all.

Mo whimpered as he gently disentangled his shirt from her fists and lay her down. Taking out the sharp folding potions knife that he'd finally remembered to get, he flipped it open and nicked his wrist, hissing slightly at the sharp pain. Luckily, Mo woke up enough to eat without getting upset or even really opening her eyes. He smiled down at her. She looks like she's sleep-eating. Wish I could do that.

When she finished, he placed her carefully on the bed before hauling out the Heir book to write a quick note:

I guess they still didn't get the note from before, Harry realized. They'd have responded, if they had. Closing the book, Tobias joined Mo on the nice double-bed and fell asleep.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

August 14

Harry woke up the next morning feeling wonderfully refreshed – Mo had actually slept, what a concept! – and starving. Shit, I forgot to eat, again, Tobias thought as he sat up.

Still, he followed his normal morning routine as closely as he could, given the different circumstances. He fed and changed Mo and got them both dressed for the day. He was forced to put on a pair of pants from his trunk, one that only mostly still fit, and the same shirt from the night before, having left all of his clothes on Diagon Alley. He had the diaper bag, of course, though, so at least Mo got clean clothes. I'd better get my stuff soon, though, or I'm gonna run out of diapers.

Finally ready to leave the room, Harry headed to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and went downstairs to the kitchen, hoping to dig something up out of the fridge. To his surprise, Molly and Arthur Weasley were both already up and talking to another woman in the kitchen. Both stopped speaking and looked up when he stopped at the threshold, and Molly spoke.

“Good morning, dear. You're up early. Tobias, isn't it?”

“Yes Ma'am,” Harry answered politely. Dumbledore had decided to let Harry tell those of the Order members who knew him already who he was if he wished to. Those who didn't know him – and those whom Harry did not choose to tell beforehand – would be appraised of the situation at a meeting that evening. He wasn't sure if he was going to tell anybody at all, just yet, but it was nice to see the Weasleys, anyway. She's so short! he realized right away, looking at Molly. He wasn't that tall – somewhere between 6'2” and 6'4”, he figured - but Mrs. Weasley didn't even come up to his chin. Mr. Weasley was taller, certainly, but still noticeably shorter than Harry himself. It was weird, being taller than people.

“And the little one?” Molly asked.

“This is Mo,” he said, turning her around and walking closer so Molly could see.

Molly smiled broadly. “Oh, and isn't she a pretty little one?” she said, obviously enchanted by little Mo. Mo squealed and waved her teething ring in the air, and Harry grinned broadly, finding himself blushing. MY pretty little one. And she was energetic again! Just as he thought it, she gave a loud little sneeze, but he wasn't worried anymore. It wouldn't quite make Snape his favorite person, but the man had seemed to work a miracle. Mo had slept through most of the night, and woken up her usual lively self, the remaining stuffy nose seeming not to bother her at all. The man could – and no doubt would - taunt and torture him all year, but Tobias would remember this.

“She's my daughter,” Harry explained, needing to know that Molly would be okay with that. She looked up at him, frowning a bit, but then smiled a little.

“I was wondering,” she admitted. “Where'd the wings come from?”

“She's fae,” Tobias answered. “A friend of mine couldn't keep her, and for some reason wanted me to take her. I told her I was only fifteen, but...” he shrugged.

Molly smiled sympathetically and offered Mo a finger. Mo latched on and started pulling towards her mouth, prompting Molly to gently free herself.

“That age, is it?”

Tobias smiled. “I've tried convincing her that her feet aren't edible, but even that's a lost cause,” he admitted.

Molly smiled back, before saying, “Oh, I'm sorry, how rude of me. I am Molly Weasley, dear, and this is my husband Arthur.” She gestured to Mr. Weasley, who nodded and smiled, and then at the young woman. “And this is Nymphadora Tonks.”

“Wotcher, Tobias!” the younger woman said excitedly. “Call me Tonks.”

“Hi,” Harry said, smiling, finding he liked Tonks immediately. If nothing else, the woman's spikey, bubblegum-pink hair made him a little less worried about how his own appearance would go over with people at the meeting that evening.

The woman gave him an appraising look and said, “I like your hair,” and then screwed up her face in a look of intense concentration. A couple of seconds, and her hair matched his. Another second, and it took on a dark maroon coloration.

“Wouldn't want to be a total copy,” she said, winking.

“What'd you do?” Harry asked, amazed. Does she have charms, too? I thought mostly only People used those? But no, charms wouldn't let her chose an appearance on the spot like that.

“I'm a metamorphmagus,” Tonks explained shrugging. “Just lucky genetics.”

You and me both, Tobias thought briefly. Well, lucky or unlucky, depending on how you look at things. “Cool,” he said.

“Would you like some breakfast, dear?” Molly offered. “I could make you eggs and toast, or porridge.”

“Umm...yeah, if you don't mind,” Harry said hesitantly. “Porridge, please.” I'll help cook lunch, he promised himself. “I can cook it myself, though,” he added as an afterthought. “It's no problem.”

“Absolutely not, my dear,” she said amicably. “You sit and take care of the little one. It's no trouble, and I know how precious the quiet moments are.”

Tobias smiled, appreciating Molly's wisdom, and sat down.

He sat Mo up on his lap , facing towards him, and smiled broader as she reached her fingers out to his mouth. Shielding his teeth with his lips, he gripped her hand gently in his mouth, then let go, growling playfully. “Got you!” Mo squealed and clumsily grabbed at his nose. He reached out and tapped hers with a finger, earning a huge, open-mouthed smile and another squeal. He found himself grinning crazily in response. It was a relief to just sit and play with Mo, without worrying about her or if anyone was tracking him. From Dumbledore's explanations of the security measures on Grimmauld Place, there was really no way the court would find him here. And, for now at least, he was still Tobias, so he didn't have to face everyone's judgment. He'd have to be careful to hide his own People status, but other than that, he was safe, and it felt good.

The others in the room talked quietly while Molly prepared the porridge and Harry played with Mo, and in seemingly no time at all, Molly was calling him to table, the tender expression on her face making Harry blush as he sat. “Thank you,” he said shyly as she set down sugar and cream next to him. Suddenly realizing that Molly was probably more versed in babies than he was, he asked hesitantly, “do you know if it would be okay for her to try this? I haven't tried her on solids yet, 'cause I haven't been sure.”

Molly gave him a smile. “How old is she?”

“Around five and a half months,” he answered.

“Definitely,” she said. “Just take it slow, stick with the porridge, and don't give her too much at once.”

She handed him a small spoon from a drawer, and he tried the porridge for temperature before offering some to Mo. About half got spat back at him, but he'd mostly expected that, and just scooped it off her chin to offer it back to her. She seemed to like it well enough, and soon he was alternating bites for himself and for her. It occurred to him about halfway through the bowl that he should probably not be using the same spoon, but shrugged. Too late now, at any rate. If I get a cold, I get a cold.

Realizing that Molly hadn't said anything since he started eating, he looked up to find her watching him, a soft expression on her face. When she met his eyes, she blushed and turned away to pull out pots and pans for breakfast.

I wonder if she misses her kids being this small, Harry thought suddenly. Certainly they got into less trouble. Of course, Mo was probably in danger just by virtue of existing, same as he was, but she was a special case. And the world was a safer place, when Ginny was this small. Watching Mrs. Weasley starting to prepare breakfast, Harry hoped suddenly that he hadn't worried her too much. I suppose I'll find out tonight at the meeting, he realized, dreading it. Oh God. She's going to kill me.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted then by another hard little sneeze. He looked down at Mo, a little concerned, then looked up to see Molly once again looking at the two of them, a small frown on her face.

“It's okay,” he said, “she's got a bit of a cold, and I was really worried yesterday, but Professor Snape said she'd be rid of it in a couple of days.”

Suddenly Harry realized. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ron are all here. What about the rest of the family?

“So...do you have any kids?” he asked, hoping she'd elaborate. Mrs. Weasley loved talking about her children.

“Yes, I do,” said Mrs. Weasley, smiling kindly. “Seven, actually. You've probably met Ronald?”

“Oh. Yeah, I have,” Harry answered. “Are all your kids here, then?”

To Harry's surprise, Mrs. Weasley saddened at the question. “No, they're not,” she said. “My oldest son, Bill, lives nearby, and Ronald, Fred, George, and Ginny are here, but my son Charlie is in Romania, and – well Percy's not here, right now.” The last few words came out choked, and Harry wondered what must be wrong with Percy. Arthur came to stand with her and squeezed her shoulder gently, and she continued.“And Harry's off somewhere, too,” she finished. “Be glad your daughter's still little. Little ones you can just keep home and safe. Eventually she'll get older and decide that she knows what's safe and then you'll just have to wonder.”

“I-is that what happened to Harry, then?” Harry asked tentatively, not sure if he really wanted to know what Mrs. Weasley thought of him.

“I don't know what happened to Harry,” Mrs. Weasley said, sounding upset. “He's not mine by blood, he lives with his relatives in Surrey. But then one day he disappeared, and he's sent letters saying he's alright, but he won't actually say where he is or what he's doing, so all I know is that he was alive at the time he sent the letter. And it's dangerous out there! And then Dumbledore – you know Dumbledore, yes?”

Harry nodded, wanting her to go on even as her words hurt him.

“Dumbledore says I shouldn't write him, because we don't know if it's safe for him to be sending and receiving too many owls, and he's right, but then what am I supposed to do? For whatever reason the boy won't come home for him, and I just don't know.”

THAT's why she didn't write me? Finally Harry couldn't stand it anymore. “He's safe.”

“He's safe? How would you know?” Mrs. Weasley sounded really skeptical.

How to go about this...she really is going to kill me. “Well, here's supposed to be safe, yeah?”

“Quite safe,” confirmed Mr. Weasley, nodding and giving him an appraising look.

“Well, he got brought here yesterday night by Professor Snape,” Harry said slowly. “He'd've stayed hidden, but then his daughter got sick, so he had to find help.”

“His – he doesn't have a – oh.” Mrs. Weasley stared at him for a minute, gobsmacked.

“I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley,” Harry said. “My-my name really is Tobias, now. Even the goblins call me that. I'm Tobias James Bâtard.”

“You – you're Harry.”

“Yeah,” Harry answered uncertainly, “that too...”

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry watched as Tonks put up silencing spells all around the kitchen, locked the door, and left. As soon as the door shut, Molly set in.

“HARRY JAMES POTTER! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED EVERYONE HAS BEEN OVER YOU?”

Harry winced. He'd heard Mrs. Weasley yell at her kids, of course, but she'd never been this angry at him. He tried to defend himself. “I wrote-”

“TWO LETTERS. YOU REALLY THINK TWO LETTERS IS GOING TO REASSURE EVERYBODY THAT YOU'RE SAFE WHEN YOU'RE GONE FOR TWO WEEKS?!”

“I was safe! Honestly, Mrs. Weasley-”

“SO YOU TOLD US IN YOUR LETTERS. SAFE! AND HOW COULD YOU KNOW WHAT IS SAFE, HARRY?”

“Nobody even knew who I was-”

“AND SINCE WHEN IS THIS WORLD SAFE FOR ANYONE, HARRY? ESPECIALLY A FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD?!”

Harry looked to Arthur for rescue, but he didn't look particularly happy with him, either. He's mad, too? Maybe he had been less than prudent. God, I am such a dumbass, he realized, looking away from the two adults. I thought I was safe, sure, but...

“I DON'T THINK SO, YOUNG MAN. LOOK AT ME WHEN I AM SPEAKING TO YOU!”

Harry looked back at her, once again looking to Arthur in the hopes of a reprieve, and once again finding him regarding him gravely. No help from that quarter. God no wonder everybody's leery to mess with Molly. At that moment, however, Mo decided she'd had enough, and started to cry.

“Oh, I'm sorry, dear,” Molly said, voice suddenly soft as she addressed Mo before glaring back up at Harry. Not off the hook yet, apparently.

“What were you thinking?” She demanded, still loud but no longer screaming.

Mo was still wailing, so Harry stood up to walk around the kitchen and soothe her, and started his explanation, avoiding both adults' eyes as he did so. He explained as he had to Dumbledore, about finding out he was a bastard and getting kicked out and meeting 'Lily' and adopting Mo.

“...so now Dumbledore wants me to keep the name Tobias with everyone except the members of the Order. Even Ron and Hermione aren't allowed to know,” he explained.

Arthur spoke up when he was done, saying, “And so you refused to return to us because...?”

Harry swallowed hard, ashamed, and told the truth, or at least part of it. “I- It was just so much to explain.” That's a terrible reason, Harry realized even as he said it. Of course, he'd had other reasons, but surely safety was more important? I thought I'd have to be Harry Potter again, and that the court would therefore find me, but that's not true. I might actually be safer from the court, here.

“And so you thought that you would just hide from us forever?” Molly demanded.

Harry stopped walking and faced them, noticing as he did so that Arthur's expression was almost as angry as Molly's. The fact that it was Arthur, who never seemed to get angry, made it even worse. “No...” he started.

“So you knew you would have to face us eventually, and you hid anyway? What did that gain you?”

“Err...” She's got a point. Some Gryffindor I turned out to be. Of course, he'd had other reasons not to return, but those reasons had been proven wrong by the simple expedient of remaining Tobias Bâtard. He'd already been living in human territory, and hiding his Peopleness and his royalty. This didn't really change anything.

“So you didn't have a reason,” Molly concluded. “You stayed away for two weeks, refusing to tell us where you were or return, because you didn't want to explain something that you were going to have to explain later, anyway? Did you not realize that if you wanted to bring Mo to school with you, that Dumbledore would have to know ahead of time?”

“I- I did, I mean, I do now, I just-” Harry cut off, unsure what to say, and focused back on soothing Mo. She was starting to quiet, but she really hadn't liked Molly's yells, and it comforted him to comfort her. I screwed up.

Finally Molly got impatient with his reluctance. “You just what?”

Harry gave up. “I'm sorry, okay? It's just been a rough summer. Maybe I wasn't thinking so straight.”

“I hope to tell.” Molly said. “Do you have any idea how worried we've all been? Did it occur to you that we might want to help you with all of this? That we cared about you?”

Tempted to wrap his wings around his face in a gesture of shame, Harry instead allowed himself a more human response: he looked at his feet. He hadn't even thought about Mrs. Weasley. He'd known Dumbledore was worried, but he was angry at Dumbledore, and so didn't mind too much. It hadn't occurred to him that Molly would worry as well until he'd gotten here. Sensing Molly ready to lay into him again, he looked back up and said, “I'm sorry, okay? I should've come back.”

Once again Harry took solace in Mo's presence, bouncing and rocking her and petting her head. “Hey little girl,” he whispered, too low for the two Weasleys to hear. “My pretty little monkey.” He would never get tired of her soft purple curls. Nobody else's baby has purple hair. So there. Finally calm, Harry realized what he hadn't before – Mo had dropped her teething ring somewhere along the line, and proceeded to regain her usual habit of sucking on his shirt. He was positively soggy. Freeing his shirt from her mouth and hands, Tobias retrieved the teething ring, rinsed it off in hot water from the sink, and returned it to Mo.

Molly seemed to be calming, too, but she apparently wasn't done just yet. “Yes, you should've. You are safe here, Harry. That is all we wanted for you. Safety and support. You don't think you could have used that?”

“I was safe,” Harry defended.

“As safe as you are here?” she asked incredulously.

Safer than in an unplottable house protected by the Fidelius charm and warded by Dumbledore? She's got a point.

Harry grimaced. “Maybe not.”

“Of course not, Harry,” Arthur put in softly. His sudden input surprised Tobias anyway, though. He'd almost forgotten the man's presence, for all he knew he was there supporting Molly.

Tobias met the man's eyes, then nodded. “Okay, no, I wouldn't have been. But I didn't know that, sir. Dumbledore said that I was safest at Privet Drive, but then I didn't have anywhere to go. I didn't know that Dumbledore had this place, and he's never let me return to Hogwarts.”

“He told you that he wanted you to return and that you'd be safer, didn't he? Don't you trust him?”

“I don't know,” Harry said honestly. “He's been acting strange. He won't tell me anything, or even meet my eyes.”

“I'm sure he has his reasons, dear,” Molly said complacently.

“Yeah, but that doesn't mean I agree with them,” Harry said. “I mean, he didn't even know Mo existed.”

“Because you did not tell him,” Arthur pointed out.

“Because he doesn't tell me anything!” Harry answered hotly, frustrated.

“He has that right,” Arthur said firmly. “He doesn't tell me everything, either. I simply trust him to share with me what I need to know, because I know from experience that his judgment is sound. You do not have such experience, and so perhaps we cannot expect you to trust him as firmly, but the fact remains that he should not be expected to share all of his plans with everybody right away.”

Harry fought down his resentment, trying not to let his frustration at the lack of information cloud his judgment. He hated not knowing, hated that people like Fudge and Dumbledore made decisions and didn't even have to tell him why and that he still had to deal with the results. It helped, some, that Arthur also had to accept that, sometimes, but it was still frustrating.

“I hate that,” Harry finally answered. “I get it, I guess, but I still hate it.”

The conversation died, and Harry looked over to Mrs. Weasley to see her regarding him with a smile, tears in her eyes. “You're safe,” she said softly, clearly relieved.

“I'm sorry,” Harry said again, speaking as softly as she was.

“Oh, come here,” said Mrs. Weasley, engulfing him in one of her smothering hugs. He hugged back with one arm, careful of Mo. Looking down at the little one, Molly smiled. “I have to say, I never thought I'd be a Gramma this soon.”

Harry beamed at her. It's gonna be okay. Oh, thank God. Pulling out of the hug, he suddenly realized that he hadn't felt threatened by her proximity to Mo. He hadn't even thought to be.

“You- you want to hold her?” he offered.

Molly's face lit up. “I'd love to.”

“Just be a little careful of her wings,” he said. “They're a bit fragile.” Paying careful attention to his own reaction, Harry handed Mo slowly over to Molly. In a moment, he took his hands away, leaving Mo in Molly's arms, and smiled. I did it! I can let other people hold her! Well, at least Molly, who was probably the number one person he would trust with a baby, but still. He was all right with it. He missed Mo, a little, but it was more a problem of him not holding her than Molly holding her.

And Molly was clearly thrilled, smiling down at Mo as the little one gurgled and reached out for her hair. Grabbing a lock of it, Molly tickled Mo's face.

“She's beautiful,” Molly said as Mo reached clumsily for the lock. “Such lovely eyes!”

Tobias smiled proudly, and, unable to resist, offered Mo his finger to hold, prompting her to draw it towards her mouth. Noticing that she had, once again, dropped her teething ring, Harry freed his finger and once again went to rinse it off and return it to her. This time she gripped it in both hands and brought it into her mouth.

“I suppose we can take the silencing spells off the room now?” Arthur asked good-naturedly.

Molly smiled and nodded, but Tobias cautioned, “Just remember I'm Tobias, alright?”

Arthur smiled. “We'd be a pretty poor secret organization if we couldn't remember something that important, I should think,” he said, then waved his wand carefully around the room, dispelling the silence and unlocking the door.

No sooner had he done so, then Sirius and Tonks both walked in, followed by Fred and George, loudly demanding why the door had been locked.

“We apologize, but we needed the kitchen for a private conversation,” Molly explained.

“And who's this, then?” Sirius asked.

“Tobias Bâtard,” Harry answered, telling himself that he'd introduce himself more fully during the meeting that night. I'm not James' son. If anyone was going to react badly to that, it would be Sirius. Tonight. We can't talk in front of Fred and George, anyway. For now, he'd be Tobias. “I'm transferring to Hogwarts this year, and Headmaster Dumbledore invited my daughter and I here for the rest of the summer.”

Even as Harry repeated the story, he realized it was a bit strange. Even if the Headmaster had known his mother, why would he want Tobias Bâtard, who had no obvious relevance in the war against Voldemort, to spend the summer at the headquarters of a secret organization like the Order? The only reason the story was believable at all was because the headmaster confirmed it. They probably realize that there's more to the story than we're telling, and just don't ask, Harry realized. At any rate, lying to Sirius sucked.

“So what house are you in, then?” asked Fred. Or George, I suppose. He never had quite figured that out.

“I don't know. Dumbledore said I've got to be res- sorted. My old school didn't have the same system.”

“You're going to be sorted?” asked the twin Harry was assuming was George.

“Like at the beginning of the year with all the first-years?” finished the other.

Harry winced. I hadn't thought of that. “Yeah, sounds like it. Ew.”

“What year are you gonna be in?”

“Fifth.”

“You're only fifteen?” Fred asked incredulously.

“Yeah.”

“Woah, you're tall!”

“You must be taller than Bill!”

“How tall are you?”

“Umm...” Tobias smiled, feeling himself blush. “I don't actually know. I went through a growth spurt this summer, and I haven't measured myself.” The truth was, he hadn't measured himself since the first time, when he'd seen 5'8”. But he could hardly tell them that, when he'd probably grown six or eight inches since then, could he? I really hope I'm done growing, he reflected.

Molly expertly transferred Mo to one arm and pulled out her wand. “May I?” Tobias nodded, watching her strong vertical wand movement as she incanted, “Modas Sublimitas.” The spell produced a small shimmering tape measure that pulled itself into a straight line alongside Harry and announced, “Six feet five and three-eighths inches!” That's more like ten inches, Harry realized. Shit.

“Okay,” Fred said, “so he's not really taller than Bill.”

“But he's only fifteen,” George pointed out.

“I'm also right here,” Tobias said.

“True. So how'd you get so tall? Your Dad like ridiculously tall or something?”

“I don't know,” Tobias said, “I never knew him.”

“Oh.”

After that, talk moved on to other things, and Molly handed Mo back to Tobias to prepare breakfast. Finding himself still hungry, despite the porridge, Harry ate again with the rest of the crowd before returning to the quiet of his room to study the Heir book and work on his homework.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Greetings, Harry-she

Please accept our apologies for the delay in communications. Should you wish to contact us with any urgency, please write the word 'emergency' in capitol letters before your message. This will cause the book to alarm, such that we can respond more rapidly to your need.

We thank you for your careful care of Her Highness Moriyana-she, and once again extend our assurances that, should you choose to reveal yourself to us, you will be treated with the utmost respect and consideration. It goes without saying that, should you not, you will still be treated with the same respect and consideration.

Signed, his Royal Majesty Consort Mohira Karrillre Ardkrandin-She.

Let's see, Tobias translated. Woopsies, sorry about not actually helping you keep the baby alive, try again next time. We're glad you figured it out on your own, anyway. Please hand yourself in. If you don't, we'll catch you anyway. Love and roses, his Scariness the King.

Smiling a little, he started his reply.

To his Royal Majesty Consort Mohira Karrillre Ardkransdin-She, greetings.

I thank you, and I will contact you at absolute need.

Harry grinned, unable to resist adding a small barb now that he'd found himself a safe harbor.

A question, though. What do you think to gain in asking me to hand myself in? You seemed so sure in your last message that you would catch me on your own. Surely it must be child's play, to hunt down one adolescent boy?

Signed, Harry the Switch.

Greetings to his Scariness the King. Thanks for the help. You suck. Catch me if you can. Harry grinned. This just in, Harry Potter is still an idiot. He'd've probably not had the courage to poke at the King in person, but it was fun from a distance. And at the moment, the King and his court seemed very, very far away.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Tobias walked into the basement kitchen, sat down across from a handsome dark-skinned man with a gold earring, and set Mo on his lap. The man looked up from where he'd been reading a newspaper and frowned.

“There's a meeting starting here in ten minutes.”

“I realize,” Tobias answered neutrally. “It's about me, actually.”

That gained him the man's full attention. “You are Harry Potter.”

Harry nodded.

“Interesting.”

And the man returned to his newspaper.

I think I like him, Tobias reflected.

After Tobias, Tonks arrived and sat next to the other man. Then Sirius arrived, and Arthur and Molly Weasley, and then some people Harry didn't know, and then Bill, coming through the floo. Harry stopped paying as much attention after that, trying to just focus on Mo and keep his nervousness at bay, but then a familiar feeling made him look up. He immediately thought of Bighana, but then cursed himself for a fool. Not Bighana, you dumbass. What would she be doing here? It was Remus. Of course it was Remus. He'd sensed him from across the room, a spot of kinship where everyone else felt just a bit – different. Shit. If he'd identified the werewolf's presence that easily, surely Remus would sense him as well?

As Tobias considered, the werewolf looked up and frowned. His curious gaze send a trickle of ice down Tobias' back. It's just Mo. You can see that Mo is fae, wolf. You just sense her. But the combination of werewolf and the threat Tobias felt his presence to be made him want to snarl a challenge at the man, to warn him off. Yeah, 'cause that would improve matters.

But he hadn't planned for Remus's reaction to him. For in that moment Remus saw Tobias' expression, and the small challenging sneer that he'd not been able to suppress, and his upper lip lifted the slightest bit off of his canines in response. Tobias felt his lips lift totally off his canines, and a quiet snarl rumbled in his throat. Shit. It would still look to everybody else who noticed that Tobias had simply taken a quick dislike for Remus, but the werewolf would know the difference: there was no way he hadn't heard the snarl.

In the next moment, Remus even confirmed it, looking at Mo and lifting a hand in a placating gesture. Tobias took a big breath, knowing that Remus was truly no threat to Mo, then passed on his own message, looking around the room before bringing a single finger to his lips, eyes pleading. Remus pursed his lips briefly, then nodded. Looking around, Tobias didn't think anybody had noticed. Except the earring guy, Tobias realized. He had the impression the man didn't miss much.

Tobias turned his attention away from Remus, noticing that the room had filled and people were starting to settle into chairs. Snape's not here, he noticed. That's funny. Having seen him the day before, Tobias had assumed that the man was in the Order. He could still be, I guess. He might just have not come to this one...or he's late. That seemed unlikely. Finally, though, it became obvious what everybody had been waiting for, as Dumbledore flooed in and quieted the room with his mere presence.

“I apologize for the short notice on this meeting, but I have some rather important information to impart. Mr. Bâtard, if you would? I'd like everyone to be able to see you.”

Tobias stood up, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Shit, that's a lot of people, he realized suddenly. Suppressing the instinct that made him want to hide behind his wings, he threw his shoulders back and lifted his chin. Stare, why don't you? Words of what they might be thinking flashed through him as he saw their curious expressions, and he allowed a small, challenging sneer to appear once again. Yup, I'm a delinquent. What of it?

But then Dumbledore was talking again. “This is Tobias Bâtard and his daughter. I want all of you to fix him and the child in your minds. They are extremely important, and are to be defended at all cost. At the same time, no one outside this room, other than Severus Snape, who has already been apprised of the situation, is to know that they are significant in any way.” Almost as an afterthought, he spread his arms. “Any questions?”

“Yeah, may we know why?” someone called.

Dumbledore turned to Harry and smiled softly. “Do you want to tell them, my boy, or should I?”

Tobias shrugged. No reason not to, I suppose. He also had a certain way he wanted to do things. It seemed important, somehow, that he presented himself as himself. As Tobias, then as Harry Potter. “Like Dumbledore said, my name is Tobias Bâtard. I'm fifteen years old, and yes, I have a daughter.”

Tobias adjusted Mo so she was facing out, then took hold of one of her wings and gently extended it, before releasing it when she pulled back. Mo really didn't like having her wings messed with, he'd learned early on. At least I'm not trying to clean them, this time, Tobias remembered with a slight smile. Mo did not like getting wet, and she'd made it abundantly clear.

“Her name is Mo. As you might've noticed, she's one of the fae. Her Mum's dead, and I adopted her. I wanted to introduce myself first, because it's important that you think of me as Tobias Bâtard. Most of you have actually already met me, though if this is going to work you don't know it. Long story short, I'm Tobias, but I'm also Harry Potter.” He smiled at the startled looks he received. “Yeah, I know. It's been an eventful summer.”

A man he recognized immediately as Mad-Eye Moody stood up and walked closer, but stopped six feet away when Tobias took a step back, not wanting Mo that close to the man even though he technically knew it wasn't Crouch.

“Sorry,” Mad-Eye said gruffly. “Could've predicted that.”

Tobias shrugged. “No big deal.”

Mad-Eye didn't comment further, just stopping to examine Tobias from head to toe. “Amazing,” he finally commented, but continued, “Get a spell for your eyes.”

“Will do,” Tobias promised.

“Polyjuice or glamour?”

“Took a glamour off, actually,” Tobias answered, not looking at Sirius. It's gonna come out sometime, might as well just tell. “My mum did a spell to make me look like Dad, 'cause I looked too much like my biological father and they didn't want trouble.”

“Your biological-” Sirius sounded choked.

“I'm a bastard,” Tobias answered bluntly, finally looking over at Sirius. “I'm not James' son.”

“Whose son are you, then?” Remus asked, staring fixedly at Tobias as if trying to figure something out.

“Whoever my mum decided to mess around with while my dad was gone,” Tobias answered bitterly, not appreciating the direction the conversation had taken.

“Harry!” Molly objected. “Don't speak so about your mother!” She quieted when Arthur put a hand on her arm.

“It's just the truth, Mrs. Weasley,” Harry answered. “Mum wouldn't've liked it, but then she wouldn't want me lying, either, I should think.”

Harry took a deep breath, and turned his attention back to the room as a whole. “Anyway, that's it. My name is Tobias James Bâtard. I'm transferring into Hogwarts this year and I'm bringing Mo with me. Dumbledore has asked me to not reveal my true identity to anybody outside of the Order, including Ron and Hermione and the other Weasleys, so please remember that I am Tobias.”

“That won't be hard to do,” Mad-Eye commented, sounding approving in his gruffness.

“You don't even hold yourself the same way,” Sirius commented. Hearing something – off – in the man's voice, Harry looked up and met Sirius' eyes. Sirius looked away quickly, and Tobias frowned, wondering what was up. Don't be obtuse. You're not James' son. You knew that was gonna throw him for a loop.

Tobias turned back to the Headmaster. “Anything else, sir? Or should I go back upstairs?”

“I cannot think of anything else at the moment-” Dumbledore started, before cutting off. “Yes, Remus?”

Remus looked over and met Tobias' eyes. “You mentioned that young Mo is one of the fae. Have you forgotten to mention your own...situation?”

Tobias blanched. No, Remus. What are you doing? Once again pleading with his eyes, Tobias barely mouthed the words, “you promised.” The man had just indicated that he wouldn't tell, for goodness' sake!

“I am sorry, Harry, but I think you'll agree that I did not know the full story at the time that I made that promise. If it were not relevant to your defense, I wouldn't mention it, but as it is - If you will not tell them the full story, Harry, then I will be forced to.”

“The full story?” Dumbledore inquired, disarmingly polite. “Is there more to tell?”

By then the whole crowd was staring between Remus and Tobias, who was growling low in his throat.

“You didn't even tell Dumbledore, Harry?” Remus asked incredulously.

Dumbledore's eyes fixed on Harry's face, yet strangely still did not meet his. “Tell me what, Tobias?” His voice held a demand, but Tobias ignored it, still looking at Remus, and fighting back a growl.

Remus' gaze held a hard sort of sympathy as he returned Tobias' gaze and said slowly. “He is not human, Headmaster.”

Not human. Tobias heard the echo in his mind as he fought with everything he had not to let loose and confirm Remus' claims. You unmitigated fucking BASTARD!

“You are certain, Remus?” the headmaster asked softly.

“Definitely.”

Tobias closed his eyes as he spoke, hearing the words come out anguished even as he felt the anger building in his chest. “I never betrayed you, Lupin. I never told a soul.”

“I know,” the former professor answered softly.

“Then why-” Harry stopped as he felt his throat close around the words. “Never mind. I guess it doesn't matter, now.”

“Harry-” Remus started.

“It's Tobias.” Tobias answered sharply, restraining an all-out snarl but feeling a low growl vibrating in his throat.

“Tobias.” The headmaster's voice demanded attention, and Tobias ignored Remus in favor of turning towards him. “You are fae, same as the child, I presume?”

Please, please, let him not know about the rest. “Yes.”

“Now that is a glamour,” Tobias heard Mad-Eye comment.

“Would you show us, please?”

With pleasure, Tobias thought savagely, before a more cautioning voice calmed him a little. It wasn't just Remus and Dumbledore in the room, after all. Thanks Remus. Really, great job. Couldn't just tell Dumbledore, had to tell everybody I cared about. He looked over to the Weasleys, and saw Arthur regarding him with a frown. Sirius was looking at him like he expected him to immediately Were or something. Lovely. And here I thought I was done moving every week.

Maybe if I just show my wings, that'll be enough? After all, they'd only seen Mo. The only aspect they knew he should have were the wings, and they weren't really the scariest bit, in Tobias's opinion. Remus got by in this crowd, and they knew he was a werewolf. All he had to do was be like Remus – just show his wings, 'cause they already knew they were there anyway, and continue to tone down his strength and his normal reactions to things as he had been doing since he got to Diagon Alley. Everything should be okay. Nobody had to know there was more to it. It was a good plan, really. And it disgusted him. Remus is a coward, he suddenly realized. I am PEOPLE. Not 'nonhuman', not a creature, People. They can fucking deal with it; I'm not going to spend the rest of my life pretending to be something I'm not. If he had to move, he'd move. If only I could go back to Knockturn, he thought. I was welcome, there.

“Sure,” Tobias answered neutrally. Standing up, he moved to the end of the table where nobody was sitting and set Mo down on her stomach, smiling a little when she immediately propped herself up on her two hands to look up at him. “Stay put, monkey,” he whispered, keeping a gentle hand on her back so she wouldn't roll off. Deciding to go for the smaller parts first, Harry reached into a pocket in Mo's diaper bag and fished around for his potions and charms, finally pulling out the light purple potion that would reveal his teeth. Determinedly keeping his gaze on Mo, he downed it, then deactivated the charm on his horns. Finally, he let go of Mo so he could remove his shirt. He hesitated for a moment, shy about baring his chest to the whole room, but then mentally shrugged and peeled off the shirt. His wings immediately sprang free, and Tobias could pick Mo up again and hold her to his bare chest.

Holding Mo, Tobias finally looked up at the rest of the room, knowing that his expression showed his canines and not caring. Here we go. If they were going to have a problem with this, he had to know now.

Well they were staring, that was for sure. He'd expected that much. Nobody was screaming, so that was good. Nobody was reacting much at all, though. It was like they were petrified. That's probably not good.

Surprisingly, it was Tonks who spoke first. “So how'd that happen?” she asked bluntly.

When he looked at her face, trying to figure out how she felt about things, she gave him a slight smile, allowing his snarl to fade. “Just lucky genetics,” he answered, parroting her earlier phrase and earning a bigger smile. “Presumably my Dad looks something like this.”

“Not necessarily,” she answered back. “Genetics can be funky in the wizarding world.”

He hadn't known that. Interesting. He nodded back, and the room returned to silence before Bill spoke up, just as blunt as Tonks had been.

“You're a dark fairy,” he identified.

“Unseelie Sidhe,” Tobias corrected, stress making his tone unnecessarily sharp.

“My apologies.” Bill bowed his head slightly, a good-humored smile on his lips.

Tobias felt his snarl disappear as he responded to Bill with a wan smile of his own. “No biggie. Well observed, actually. Not even all of the People recognize me on first sight,” he answered, still slightly wary.

“I work with the goblins,” Bill explained.

“Of course,” Tobias acknowledged. “They know everything.”

Bill grinned. “That they do. They've probably known where you were this entire time.”

“And that Dumbledore was looking for me,” Tobias answered lightly, enjoying the joke. “They especially enjoyed the Ministry's cluelessness, actually.”

The room seemed to relax a little at Bill's ringing laugh, but Tobias' smile quickly faded as he looked around at the serious faces.

“So...should I pack?” he asked bluntly. “I was doing fine on Diagon Alley, honestly-”

“DON'T YOU EVEN START!” exclaimed Molly suddenly, startling Tobias with the yell before looking at Mo at continuing more quietly. “Did you not hear us this morning when we said how dangerous it was for you out there?”

Harry looked at her, confused. “Well, yeah, but-”

“But what? You think you're safer out there than you would've been before?”

“Actually, he is,” interrupted Bill. “Nobody messes with the fae with their little one anywhere nearby. Nobody.” Molly sent him a glare, and Bill threw up both hands placatingly. “Not that I think he should leave. Just stating the facts.”

Molly turned on Dumbledore next. “Albus I swear if you make the boy leave I'll leave the Order.”

“Duly noted,” Dumbledore said neutrally, before turning to the rest of the group. “Well? Who else is with Molly?”

Bill and Arthur both raised their hands immediately, and then Sirius and Remus...and Tonks, and then the man with the earring, and immediately a whole bunch of other people Tobias didn't know. All in all, about half the room rose against Dumbledore. The other half just looked confused and distressed.

“Wonderful,” Dumbledore commented cheerfully, no trace of sarcasm in his voice. “See, my boy? It's a mutiny. I couldn't kick you out if I wanted to.” He sat back, fished a sherbet lemon out of his pocket, and popped it into his mouth, clearly very satisfied with the situation.

Tobias looked around in confusion, breathing hard as a feeling of relief made his muscles turn to mush. He hadn't even realized how tense he was until that moment. Mrs. Weasley must have seen something in his eyes when he met hers, because her whole face softened, and she walked up to him fearlessly to wrap him in her arms, fumbling just a little to figure out how to hug him around the wings. Hardly believing it, Harry hugged back with one arm, gripping the back of her shirt and briefly laying his head on her shoulder. Confused and relieved and stressed as hell, for a minute he just held on and breathed. Oh thank God, I don't have to move again.

“This is the real reason you didn't come back, isn't it?” Molly asked him softly when he pulled back to look at her.

He nodded. “What I told you was true, too, I just- well, at first I couldn't come back 'cause I didn't have any of the stuff I needed to pass as human, but then I could have come back but I-”

Molly glared at him, and he revised what he was going to say. “Okay, maybe I should have come back then,” he admitted.

Someone cleared their throat, and Tobias turned back and faced the room, Molly standing at his side with a protective air. Before anybody could even say anything, Molly was addressing the group. “Anybody have a problem with H-Tobias?”

Of course, after that nobody was going to say anything. If they had a problem, Tobias supposed, he'd find out later. The meeting adjourned, people cleared out, and soon only Sirius, Remus, and the Weasleys remained in the room. Strangely, even Dumbledore left without another word to Tobias. I'd've sworn he'd've at least stayed to tell me off. Did Dumbledore have more of a problem with the Peopleness than he was letting on? He seemed totally okay with Remus. Remus is at least pretending to be human. But then Dumbledore was already being weird yesterday, too, so that can't be it. But if not that, then what was Dumbledore's problem? He'd barely even look at him, and now it looked like he wouldn't talk to him unless absolutely necessary. He'd left the meeting the night before without speaking to Tobias beyond what was necessary to get his story, and now even after all this he wouldn't stay beyond the rest of the Order members.

“H-Tobias?” Sirius asked tentatively. “I-it's true, your mother-?”

“You think Dad had these genes?” Tobias answered abruptly, indicating his whole body with a hand.

“No, but-” he cut off once again.

“It's verifiable,” Tobias realized suddenly. “Mum said Dad stayed with you, afterwards. I was born in July 1980, so I must've been conceived in...” he trailed off, counting, but Molly spoke up.

“Late October 1979, dear.”

“Okay, so, Dad would've spent about a week with you in early November,” Tobias finished. “It was right after Mum told him, and he needed some time to think things over.”

Sirius bore a look of intense and unhappy concentration for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I do remember that. James asked to stay with me, but wouldn't say why.”

Tobias looked over at the three Weasleys, and, this time, nervously allowed his wings to wrap around his body. He didn't hide his face, wanting to be able to see and be seen, but the protective gesture felt natural.

“You can put your shirt back on, if you like,” Bill commented.

“True,” Tobias said, relaxing enough to smile. “Mrs. Weasley, would you take Mo? I'd rather not just put her on the table.”

And, wonder of wonders, Mrs. Weasley once again approached him fearlessly, compassion the only emotion showing on her face as she took Mo. Considering the shirt, Tobias wrinkled his nose. He only had two of the shirts that hid his wings. He hadn't thought about it that morning, but the one he was about to put on had already been worn for three days in a row. His other clothes had arrived that afternoon with the rest of his stuff from the Leaky Cauldron, but he hadn't changed because his other shirts wouldn't conceal his wings. After a moment's hesitation, he put the shirt on, grimacing as the concealing spells tingled on his wings, but then turned to Molly.

“On second thought, this shirt is gross,” he said apologetically. “Will you hold Mo while I go grab a clean one?”

“Sure, go ahead,” Molly said.

Let's see if I can manage to leave Mo for a bit, Tobias thought. It was the first chance he'd had to try it since taking Mo – he just hadn't been around people that he trusted quite well enough. And so he slowly walked away from Mo and towards the door, ready to turn back immediately if Mo protested or he felt threatened at all. He walked away. Nothing. Left the room, and shut the door behind him. Nothing. He was fine. Reassured, Tobias hurried upstairs to grab the shirt. It was one of the older ones, that wouldn't conceal his wings, but it was clean. Once he found it, though, he hesitated, worried about encountering Ron or Hermione in the hallway with his wings out and his glamours off. Should've thought of that on the way here, he realized. His teeth and horns were showing, regardless. Deciding that he'd just change downstairs, he carried the clean shirt out of the room.

When he got back down, he found Molly talking to Arthur and Bill, Mo in her arms happily chewing on her hair. They were ignoring Remus almost entirely, and Sirius had left. Closing the door behind him, Tobias changed his shirt quickly, showing his wings once again, before moving towards the group of Weasleys. When he got there, Mo twisted to reach out for him with both hands, suddenly
fussy. Molly turned to him and smiled as he took her back.

“She's just hungry, I think,” he explained. “You want food, Mo? Other than my shirt, I mean?”

The three Weasleys chuckled, and he turned to go find privacy upstairs but was stopped by Remus' soft call.

“Tobias?”

“Not now, Lupin.”

He left.